CLEMSON – Well, perhaps sportswriters and sportscasters agree with college football coaches after all.
Mimicking the Amway/USA TODAY Coaches Poll of Aug. 2, Alabama and Clemson were ranked Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, Monday afternoon in The Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll.
Alabama and Clemson have combined to win each of the last three national championships.
The Crimson Tide received 42 of 61 first-place votes while Clemson received 18 first-place votes.
Georgia is No. 3 in the poll while Wisconsin, which received the other first-place vote, is No. 4, followed by Ohio State.
It marked the second time in three years that the Tigers were ranked in the Top 5 in the preseason AP poll and the fifth Top 5 preseason prediction in school history. No. 2 Clemson matched its best preseason ranking; the last time Clemson began the season No. 2 the Tigers went on to win the national title (2016).
Clemson has been ranked in the AP Top 25 in the preseason for seven consecutive years, which is the second-longest such streak in school history. The Tigers were ranked among the preseason Top 25 for eight consecutive years from 1987 to 1994.
Also, Clemson has met or exceeded its preseason ranking in the final AP poll each of the last seven seasons. That streak under Coach Dabo Swinney is the longest by a coach in college football history.
The Tigers return 17 starters from last season’s 12-2 team that entered the Playoff ranked No. 1 in the country before losing to Alabama, 24-6, in the Sugar Bowl semifinal playoff game.
Clemson has won 10 or more games for a school-record seven consecutive seasons and is seeking a fourth straight appearance in the College Football Playoff. The Tigers open the season with a home game against Furman on Sept. 1.
